Celebrating 50 years

George and Elizabeth Padilla, of Alamogordo, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Oct. 21. The couple met in Mesa, Ariz., and were married in Gilbert, Ariz., on Oct. 21, 1961. They have four children and one grandson. George retired in 1996 as the education services officer at Holloman Air Force Base after a long career that took the Padilla family to Japan and England. He continued to consult for the Air Force and other entities until 2010 and remains engaged in a number of community service activities. Elizabeth retired in 2002 as director of Community Education and Distance Learning at New Mexico State University-Alamogordo. She is dedicated to community service and has been active in the Tularosa Basin Historical Society, Children in Need of Services and the P.E.O. Sisterhood, among others. The couple has made Alamogordo their home since 1973.